Four Ways Friday #10 - Circles #2 Die

This week's Four Ways Friday uses the Circles #2 die for the Big Shot!  It is amazing how many different materials these dies can cut through - here I show you four!

The Circles #2 die is great to use for hair accessories!  I just ran some regular craft felt through the Big Shot with the Circles #2 die to make the circles.  I then stacked them one on top of the other - a bit off-center.  I used a bit of brown embroidery floss to stitch them together in the middle making an "x."  I then used a needle and regular thread to stitch them to an everyday pony tail holder.  So easy!

I was so excited when I received my Punched Posies hostess set from the Summer Mini catalog!  This set is adorable!  It also happens to coordinate incredibly well with the Circles #2 die.  For this project I used the die to cut through fun foam sheets in pink, orange and green.  I punched and cut images from the Punched Posies set and layered them onto the foam circles.  The foam circles add great dimension and texture to the card!

Did you know your Bigz dies can cut through craft foil?!  I decorated this frame by cutting through gold, silver and copper craft foil with the die!  I layered the circles and punched through the metal with my crop-a-dile.  Decorative brads complete the centers.  I used silver wire to attach all of the flowers to the wire mesh grid at the bottom of the frame.  Now I need to find the perfect picture to put in the frame!

OK, I admit it...for this last project I got a little corny :)  I saw a similar circle caterpillar on the PaperSource website and couldn't get it out of my mind!  I used the largest circle size on the Circles #2 die and ran Whisper White card stock through the Big Shot with the die.  If you really want this caterpillar to stand on his own, you might want to use chipboard to create him.  I used brads to attach the circles to one another and stamped the body with images from Wow Flowers. Since this card is connected with brads you can compress the card into a smaller size for mailing.  Googley eyes, a mouth, and antennae complete the look :)  Hope you have a fabulous and creative weekend!!!!!

Anniversary - Two-Step Bird and Burst

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  There Are Moments When It Is Important To Stop What You Are Doing

I went for a run this morning.  It felt great - it was hot - it was one of those runs where everything just seems to be working in harmony.  I had planned to continue running my full run - all the way back to the house.  However, as I approached the park not far from my house, I saw my friend and his dog in the park.  The thought went through my mind to just wave and continue running.  Instead I stopped.  My friend has been dealing with an illness for quite some time and I hadn't seen him in awhile.  Connecting with him and hearing how he was doing - even talking about running shoes and the weather - was more important than continuing my run at that moment.  Sometimes we can be so focused on what we are doing - or so dead set on getting something done, that we miss those moments when it is important to stop what we are doing and connect with someone else.

Today's card is for a friend - she and her husband are celebrating their wedding anniversary :)  I sprayed some pieces of Very Vanilla card stock with a mixture of shimmer paint and alcohol.  Our new Smooch Spritz is another alternative - it comes ready to use in a mister!  I ran the Very Vanilla through the big shot with the flower burst sizzlit and punched a bunch of flowers using my flower trio punch (this is retiring...don't miss your chance to get one while they last!).  I also punched the bird and branches using the two-step bird punch.  The Crumb Cake card stock (formerly known as Kraft) was stamped using Early Espresso ink with the Bella Toile background stamp and the Very Vintage wheel.  I also spritzed a little using the spritzer tool.  The Soft Suede card stock panel was run through a textured impressions embossing folder.  Next, stamped the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched it out with my modern label punch.  Finally, I added a little bit of diamond stickles for a little added sparkle.  I hope you like it!

It's The Thought - Giraffe Humor :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Be Punny!!!!!!!!

I just had to do it!  This stamp cried out for being turned into this card!  I just couldn't help myself :)  Hopefully this card is making you smile as much as I am right now :)  Too funny...I mean...punny :)  What stamps do you have that lend themselves well to being turned into puns?  If you find some that make you laugh - please be sure to share!!!!!!!!  We could all use a little pun every once in awhile :)  Smile :)

It's The Thought - Turtles

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Start Where You Left Off

Don't get me wrong - I'm not afraid of new beginnings and sometimes new beginnings are the place to start...and, I also believe, that sometimes starting where you left off is another way to move forward - to learn something new.  I left off in the craft room the other day with a layout similar to this one (with those adorable crabs).  So, when I entered the craft room today, I decided to begin my journey where I had left off and to see where the road would take me.  Here's the end result!

I added some background stamping with the Define Your Life stamp set (a huge favorite of mine).  I stamped in Barely Banana ink onto Barely Banana card stock (will be sad to see Barely Banana retire at the end of the month..sniffle, sniffle).  I took the adorable hostess set, It's The Thought, and went crazy with these turtles!  I decided they couldn't make the journey alone - they needed to be together :)  So I used my stamp-a-ma-jig and piled those turtles one on top of the other :)  I colored them with markers and added some dazzling diamonds to make them sparkle!  The round tab punch added a nice touch with the word "journey" stamped in Old Olive ink.  Finally, the gorgeous striped ribbon...watch for this one in more colors with the new catalog in July!  Yeah!!!!!  I hope you like it...now, where did you leave off before coming to see my blog?  That might be a good place to start :)

It's The Thought...More Crabs!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Find Your Island In Time

The craft room is more than a place for me.  It is magic - when I create, time stands still.  Worries seem to fade from my mind.  My heartbeat calms and my body relaxes.  Just writing about it makes me breathe more deeply.  For each of us, there is a place of "magic" - do you know where your "magic" lives?  Maybe it's in a warm bath, or on a mountaintop, or on a golf course.  Maybe it's watching your child sleep or taking your dog for a walk.  Wherever it is, it is your own special island - the place you can go to wind down and reconnect with yourself.  If you haven't been there in awhile, now is a wonderful time to visit!

I just can't get enough of this adorable crab!  He makes me smile every time I stamp him (especially when I don't ink up his frown and give him a smile instead) :)  I stamped the Pink Pirouette background with the Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp in Pink Pirouette ink.  The greeting was stamped in Rose Red and the crabs were stamped by inking the parts of the stamp I wanted with Basic Black and then hand drawing the smiles :)  I used my 2-way glue pen with some dazzling diamonds for some bling!  The ribbon was attached with a bit of snail and I added a brad for a quick embellishment.  I hope you like it!